Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is a 2008 fighting game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, which introduces DC Comics superheroes into the ''Mortal Kombat'' series, reminiscent of the ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' games published years earlier. Originally the subject of some criticism, humor, and bewilderment from the industry and both subjects' fanbases, the game received above-average reviews and sold over 200,000 copies its first week. Although the first Mortal Kombat on a seventh-generation console (and powered by the popular Unreal Engine 3), gameplay is similar to Mortal Kombat games of the previous generation, yet violence is toned down to a "Teen" rating, a first for the series. For DC Universe heroes, known for their rejection of lethal force (the subject of much of the game's initial reactions), "Fatalities" are replaced by "Heroic Brutalities." Story The story of MKvsDCU takes place outside of both Mortal Kombat and DC Universe canon. Rather than picking a character at the beginning of the story mode, the player instead selects a "Mortal Kombat" or "DC Universe" story path, and characters change along the way. Mortal Kombat Story In the MK Earthrealm, Raiden once again fights off an attempt at conquest by Shao Khan and exiles him to a portal. DC Universe Story Metropolis has just survived an invasion by Apokolips and, as Darkseid attempts to escape into a boom tube, Superman hits him with a heat blast from his eyes, destabilizing the boom tube. Immediately after, Superman takes Lex Luthor, who had worked with Darkseid in the invasion, off to jail. In the fallout of the invasion, The Flash confronts Deathstroke in Metropolis and Catwoman in Gotham City while on Justice League patrol, before encountering Kano for the first time. Here is where he first encounters the extra-dimensional "rage" which turns him into a furious killing machine. The Flash even downs Batman in combat before he is subdued and taken to the Batcave, where he switches places with Scorpion. After Batman takes out Scorpion, he studies him in his lab and speculates that he could be from Apokolips. Soon after, Batman traces an energy signature similar to Scorpion's, and, even though he runs into The Joker, this leads him to a "rage"-induced Liu Kang; to him, Batman appears as Shang Tsung. After Batman beats him, The Joker and Scorpion disappear. He takes Liu Kang back to the JLA Satellite, where he and Green Lantern are attacked by Raiden, who rescues Liu Kang after fighting Batman. Superman has apparently disappeared. On Themyscira, Wonder Woman defeats Shang Tsung and travels to Metropolis, where she meets Katana, effected by the "rage," who disappears into a portal back to her world. She travels back to the Fortress of Solitude and finds Sub-Zero, who has frozen Superman in a solid block of ice. She beats him and frees Superman, whose powers have been fluctuating since the invasion. As Superman flies off to solve the crisis, Wonder Woman takes Sub-Zero back to the Satellite, where Captain Marvel has fallen to the "rage." Green Lantern is transported to Oa, where to Guardians inform him that two worlds are merging. There he meets up with Luthor and Catwoma, who were accidentally transported there by the Earthrealm's portals. While scolding him, Lex and Green Lantern fight in the Guardians' chambers Captain Marvel story Villains story (MK STORY) Soon both sides combine forces against the other in a final showdown, before they learn they have a "common enemy," Dark Khan, an amalgam of Darkseid and Shao Kahn, merged by events at the beginning of the game. They defeat Dark Khan and return to their respective worlds. Meanwhile, Darkseid is confined to the Netherealm and Shao Khan is imprisoned in the Phantom Zone floating through space. Characters Mortal Kombat DC Universe *[[Batman|'Batman']] - After the Apokolips invasion, Batman is scouting Gotham City when he encounters The Flash, who has just taken down Catwoman and Kano and, under the influence of "rage," takes down Batman as well. *[[Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)|'Green Lantern']] - Hal Jordan is the Green Lantern of the game, as opposed to the more commonly-used John Stewart (previously used in the ''Justice League'' animated series and Justice League: Heroes game, for instance); this most likely reflects the Geoff Johns run on the series which was a best-seller at the time of release. He helps Batman study Liu Kang at the JLA Satellite before being attacked by Captain Marvel, infected by the "rage," and transported to Oa, where the Guardians inform him of the merging worlds and he reluctantly must team up with Lex Luthor and Catwoman. He returns to the Satellite and encounters Jax and Sonya Blade. *[[Marvel (Billy Batson)|'Captain Marvel']] - Billy Batson is the Captain Marvel of the game, although at the time in the comics he had been replaced by Freddy Freeman. Cap is infected by the "rage" when he goes to the Green Lantern, then Wonder Woman. He gets himself under control, then travels to the Rock of Eternity, where he encounters Raiden and the wizard Shazam tells him that he must find Superman. When he looks in Metropolis, he is sucked into the [Netherealm by Scorpion, where he is forced to fight Scorpion, Baraka, and finally Shang Tsung before being sent back to Metropolis. He finds Superman when he returns, having been surrounded by the DC villains. *[[The Joker|'The Joker']] - The Joker first appears when he attacks Batman, on his way to investigate the arrival of Liu Kang. He gets beaten by Batman